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The Comedians DVD Review

“The Comedians” lacks comedy.

“The Comedians” is the last of the IndiePix Retro Afrika titles I have for review (for now that is). This “comedy” revolves around a shady man named Mr. Bona who convinces his former co-worker Slu to borrow a magic ring to help his ailing lady love. Of course, it’s all a ruse and he uses the ring to try and become wealthy. Little does Mr. Bona know that his actions have grave consequences.

While I have appreciated the DIY nature of the South African films, “The Comedians” is truly a rough watch. While perhaps inspired by silent comedy films, magic lamp stories and gimmicky comedies, “The Comedians” forgot to include a key ingredient- comedy. Any comedic potential the movie ever had is ruined by a script that does little with the magic premise. The script (and perhaps the improv) is also entirely repetitious over the course of the 87 minute runtime. Characters repeat lines constantly or they take 7-10 minutes to make a single decision or get to the point of a conversation. Sure, there’s a poignant message about greed and consequences in the end, but the not so subtle message is not worth the journey to get there.

Perhaps the movie’s biggest letdown is the fact that Hector Mathanda doesn’t get to utilize the character or the story to his advantage. Throughout the Retro Afrika line of films, Mathanda has been one of the acting highlights due to his screen presence. In this, he seems to be floundering because there’s so little for him to do or say that is of interest. A movie about a magic ring should be full of imagination and hijinks even with a low budget.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 3:2. How does it look? The movie is cleaned up as best as can be.

Audio Track: Zulu Stereo. How does it sound? The audio is a bit muted but it does the job.

Extras include a trailer for “The Comedians” and a link for “Entre Nos.”

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